David Gray: A New Day at Midnight | Music Review

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David Gray
A New Day at Midnight
***

by Sal Cinquemani on November 1, 2002
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With his fifth album A New Day at Midnight, Manchester-born singer-songwriter David Gray delivers more of his new millennium folk. Continuing the trend set by his recent digital-meets-twang concoctions (the fizzy yet earnest "Please Forgive Me"), "Caroline" and "Long Distance Call" mix electronic beats with more organic elements like acoustic guitar and piano. Whether he's tackling faith and God ("Dead in the Winter") or just plain ol' love ("Be Mine"), Gray exhibits shades of Bob Dylan but he often gets caught up in the grandeur of his words—he sings "I hear the voice of Eden cry…Makes me wanna lay down and die" on "Real Love." Gray fares better when he's pining simply: "I need you more than I can say…But all I get is further away." Still, tracks like "December" are too sonically minimalist and lyrically vague for their own good and Gray's country-tinged voice doesn't always mesh well with the album's electronic flourishes.

Label: RCA
Release Date: 2002